Mortgage lender · Salem, MA · LEI 5493006NTCY0P06JR884

Salem Five Cents Savings Bank review: approval odds, rates and grade (2025)

Salem Five Cents Savings Bank earns an A, placing it in the top fifth of home-equity (HELOC) lenders. It turned down 18.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025, which ranks in the 72nd percentile for approval odds. Its median loan was priced 1.26 points below the average prime offer rate, ranking in the 89th percentile on pricing. Compared against 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders using 2025 HMDA filings.

1.5kApplications2025
63.5%Originatedof applications
18.0%Decision denial ratenational 22.6%
5.99%Median ratenational 6.63%
$298MLoan volume4 states

Salem Five Cents Savings Bank at a glance, 2025

Every figure is from the lender's own HMDA filing. "vs national" compares with all lenders combined.

14.6%Denial rate (all applications)-3.40 pts vs national
18.0%Denial rate (decided applications)-4.63 pts vs national
63.5%Origination rate+5.42 pts vs national
6.6%Withdrawn by applicant
12.3%Closed for incompleteness
5.99%Median interest rate-0.63 pts vs national
-1.26Median rate spread (pts over APOR)-1.51 pts vs national
$205,000Median loan amount
Median total loan costs
$155kMedian applicant income
55%Median loan-to-value
0High-cost (HOEPA) loans

How the A grade breaks down

Each component is a percentile rank among 412 home-equity (HELOC) lenders. Higher is better. Components the lender does not report are left out and the weights redistributed.

Approval oddsdecision denial rate, weight 45%

72nd18.0% denied

Pricingmedian rate spread over APOR, weight 30%

89th-1.26 pts

Processwithdrawn + incomplete share, weight 15%

18th18.8%

Trend, 2023–2025

YearApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateDecision denialMedian rateVolume
20231,26871917.6%22.6%6.99%$198M
20241,40983416.8%20.7%7.24%$260M
20251,54397914.6%18.0%5.99%$298M

What Salem Five Cents Savings Bank lends

Applications by purpose and loan type in 2025, with the denial rate for each. A lender's mix explains a lot of its headline rate: HELOCs and FHA loans are denied far more often than conventional purchase loans.

By loan purpose

Home purchase 123 8% · 7.3% denied
Refinance 459 30% · 10.0% denied
Home improvement 494 32% · 16.6% denied
Other / HELOC 467 30% · 18.8% denied

By loan type

Conventional 1,543 100% · 14.6% denied

Also: 1,437 home-equity lines, 0 reverse mortgages, 0 manufactured homes, 109 investment properties.

Why Salem Five Cents Savings Bank denies applications

Primary reason reported for each of the 225 denials in 2025. Lenders can cite up to four reasons; this is the first one listed.

Debt-to-income ratio 163 72%
Credit history 29 13%
Collateral 27 12%
Other 6 3%

How these reasons compare nationally →

Who gets approved at Salem Five Cents Savings Bank

Decision denial rate by applicant profile. Groups with fewer than 20 applications are omitted.

Applicant incomeApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
Under $50k561254.3%
$50k – $100k28212934.1%
$100k – $150k34120221.8%
$150k – $250k43132010.9%
Over $250k3182337.0%
Applicant ageApplicationsOriginatedDecision denial rate
25–34673825.0%
35–4432218819.2%
45–5431118923.9%
55–6438626615.8%
65–7423514914.4%
Over 741287913.9%

Where Salem Five Cents Savings Bank lends

4 states and 27 counties in 2025. Click a state for the lender's full record there.

StateApplicationsOriginatedDenial rateMedian rateRank in state
Massachusetts1,44893014.4%5.99%#32
New Hampshire773716.9%5.99%#96
Maine1298.3%5.99%#205
Rhode Island6333.3%5.99%#221

Frequently asked questions

Salem Five Cents Savings Bank denied 18.0% of the applications it decided on in 2025. The national figure across all lenders was 22.6%. On approval odds it ranks in the 72nd percentile of home-equity (HELOC) lenders.

The most common reason Salem Five Cents Savings Bank gave in 2025 was "debt-to-income ratio", cited on 72.4% of its denials. Lenders report up to four reasons per denial to the CFPB; the full breakdown is on this page.

The median interest rate on loans Salem Five Cents Savings Bank originated in 2025 was 5.99%, and its median rate spread over the average prime offer rate was -1.26 points. Rates on this page are what borrowers actually got, not advertised rates.

In 2025, 8% of its applications were for home purchases, 30% for refinancing (including cash-out), and 62% for home improvement or other purposes. By loan type: 100% conventional, 0% FHA, 0% VA.

Every figure on this page comes from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Loan/Application Register published by the CFPB, which lenders are required by federal law to file. We add the grade and the comparisons; we do not add facts.

About this data. HMDA data is published once a year by the CFPB. The current release covers applications acted on in calendar year 2025. Figures describe applications the lender acted on, including loans it later sold. Interest rates and costs are medians on originated loans only; some depository institutions are exempt from reporting pricing fields, which is why a few cells read "—". MortgageGrades is not affiliated with Salem Five Cents Savings Bank. Data sources · Methodology